Nos morituri, te salutamos
by faith5bye5
Summary: snape suffers after a revealing act of heroism,whenHe,sirius,remus,twins,Ron,Harry&Mione r captured by D.E.s during Hogwarts attack.in moments of vulnerability,certain ANGSTY aspects of Snape's past are EXPOSED& group witness his abuse by trusted Auror
1. Revelations

NOS MORITURI, TE SALUTAMOS - **_we who are about to die, salute you._**

CHAPTER ONE: LOYALTIES

* * *

Ron felt his knees giving way, as he tore through the long grass in the darkness. Distressed whimpering sobs met his ears, and he belatedly realised that the pitiful moans were his own, escaping unavoidably with every other laboured breath; his entire being was shaking with fear. 

He could not see for the hot tears blurring his vision, and his lungs were painfully exhausted from gasping.

At the bottom of the hill his legs finally gave out and he collapsed into the mud on his hands and knees, focusing on the ground.He held his breath and listened intently.Not a sound reached his ears over the oppressive stillness of the night air.Dread settled in his heart.

Ron fought desperately to control his breathing, so as not to give himself away in the silence. He peered back through the darkness in the direction of Hogwart's castle, grasping at blades of grass for support.

There should have been sound.There should have been some noise: shouts, bangs, screams - anything.

It was so wrong that such silence should accompany such chaos.

He had never imagined that the end would be like this, that when the final battle between good and evil took place, he would be found cowering in the mud, hiding from danger.

In truth, he had never imagined it would happen like this at all.It was all too soon; they had had no warning; the Death Eater's had attacked them at Hogwart's.

Ron had thought the Castle was a safe haven.He cursed himself for being so naive.

Dragging himself along the ground and under the cover of a dead tree he hugged his knees, and rocked silently back and forth.

He was now in the worst possible position. There was nothing he could do but wait. He was utterly useless here, his place was back at the castle; fighting to defend everything he believed in, side by side with the people he loved and respected. He wouldn't even know who had won now, until it was too late.

He would never know if his contribution to the fight could have made a difference. He would never know whether his lack of courage had condemned the future of the world.

Ron shook his head bitterly. What the hell was he talking about? He was no hero; that was Harry's vocation. If _only_ Ron hadn't become separated from his best friends as they were rushed out of the Castle to safety.

He should have turned back straight away, back to the battle. He should have known he could never catch up with the others in the dark. He should have gone back to fight.

He was more vulnerable out here alone anyway.

"He's over there, look!"Hissed a low voice.

Ron leapt to his feet and spun round in terror, wand raised.

"Holy shit..." he choked in relief; two identical freckled faces were looking back at him from the darkness.

He put his head in his hands and staggered towards his brothers, who firmly took hold of his arms and kept him on his feet.

"Jesus, Ron, you look bloody awful..." One of them whispered in shock.

"What the hell are you doin' out here on your own..."

"How did you two get out?"Ron asked desperately, clutching onto them for comfort, gazing into their faces with disbelief.

"We were already outside…"

"…in the forest."

"We saw the attack from the hill."

"There are so many Death Eaters, Ron…"

"Hundreds of them…"

"We were gonna go help in the fight!"

"But we caught sight o' you running down here…"

"And you're our priority,"

" - seein' as how we promised mum."

They fell silent in the wake of this outburst; their emotional personas crushed by the magnitude of their situation.

Ron had never seen Fred and George look so serious and worried. The expressions on their faces quashed the last of his hope. If this could break the spirit of his twin brothers, then what chance did the rest of them have?

He noticed that the twins seemed unable to let go of each other, clinging like lifelines to the other half of themselves.

He found himself wishing futilely that he had someone to cling to.

"So this is it."

"And Ginny's still in there."

It was what each of them had been thinking.

Ron met their eyes and nodded shakily, wiping his face. "We have to go back and fight."

"We can't..."

"We have to!" Ron protested, ashamed of his earlier desertion.

"Naw, Ron, you don't understand!"

"We can't get into the Castle!"

"We saw it – "

" The Death Eaters are attacking at every entrance..."

"We couldn't get past them to reach our side."

"And we can't attack them from behind - just the three of us!"

"We'd have no chance."

Ron sighed and let his head fall forward; if the twins said it couldn't be done, then it couldn't. They were nothing if not resourceful.

Ron was about to explain what had happened to Harry, Hermione and himself as the siege on the Castle had begun, when he stopped suddenly.

The twins were utterly motionless.They were staring over his shoulder.

Their eyes held nothing but fear.

"Expelliamus."An icy voice purred.

Ron's wand flew from his hand, followed swiftly by the twins', and Ron whirled around so fast that he almost overbalanced.

Six Death Eaters, complete with blank white masks and pitch-black robes, were bearing down on them.The one in front now held in his possession all three of the boys' wands.

There was a crunch, as the Death Eater reduced their wands to splinters with a twist of his wrist.

Ron stumbled backwards, colliding with the twins, who grabbed him in a fiercely protective gesture.

"Well, what have we here? One of the Potter boy's little lapdogs, if I'm not very much mistaken?" Drawled a cruel, patronising voice, "You wouldn't happen to know where our dear Harry Potter is by any chance, would you?"

Ron froze.They were talking to **him**.He had no idea what to do.He did know where Harry had been headed, although he hadn't been able to find it himself in the dark.

The men standing before him suddenly seemed very large and powerful indeed.One of the taller, more elegant figures seemed to be working it's way subtly out of the group. Ron shivered, instantly sensing that that was the dangerous one; that was the one with the most power.

The way the man stood _alone_ made him look intimidating above all the rest, not mentioning the fact that he at least six inches taller than the others.

Ron could feel the panic rising within his chest; he was weak - if they tortured him, he didn't know how long he would be able to resist. Yet if he didn't, he would be condemning Harry and Hermione to death. His friends' trusting faces flashed before his eyes and he set his jaw in determination.

"Somewhat reluctant, are we?I thought you might be." The voice seemed to be grinning gleefully. "How about a little... _encouragement_, then?After all, your little friends here, really aren't necessary to our inquiries, and I'm sure that in their absence..."

"NO! Please..."Ron cried in horror, shielding his brothers with his body, a new level of terror creeping into his mind.They _couldn't_ kill Fred and George, it had nothing to do with them, it wasn't their fault; they had just come to help him.

If they died, Ron would be responsible: he would have killed his brothers...

"Ah yes, it seems that _would_ be the best course of action,"the man raised his wand threateningly,"given your obvious concern for them.Perhaps after **this** you will be more willing to co-operate."

"No! Kill them and I won't tell you **anything,** I swear it!"

The Death Eater smirked, taking aim. "We'll see."

Ron closed his eyes tightly, tears of despair brimming at the surface.Please God no, please no, please no, not the twins, please not them...

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"NO!"Ron screamed, wrenching his eyes open.A blast of green light assaulted his pupils, blinding him temporarily.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"More green light.

That was both of them.Dead.Dead.

No more twins.

No more laughing, teasing, defending him... no more talking to each other, finishing one another's sentences, always wearing the same clothes entirely by chance, ever...ever...again.

But...

…they were still holding his arms... he could feel their hands... - They weren't dead... they couldn't be…it wasn't them!

The bright dots dancing on Ron's corneas gradually disappeared, and his vision returned.

Two black, maskedfigures lay dead before him.

He stared in disbelief. How…What...?

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Another Death Eater fell dead, and Ron had seen. The tall, estranged Death Eater had just killed three of his acquaintances single-handed.

Ron and the twins backed away, completely at a loss, unsure of how to react to this unbelievable turn of events.

The remaining two Death Eaters, also clearly stunned by the other's unprecedented actions, after their initial delay began spitting curses at the outsider, managing to disarm the renegade.

The wandless outcast leapt defensively upon one assailant, snapping its wand in half, then using his captive's torso as a shield against the other's attack.There was a violent struggle, ended at a disturbing crack, which rang heavily through the air as the estranged Death Eater broke his assailant's neck, killing him outright.

Then, dodging three direct curses so closely that Ron found himself gasping at the man's nerve, the renegade attacked the last remaining Death Eater.This time charging the man's gut, whilst grabbing his wand hand and trying desperately to crush it, directing its aim away from himself.

Ron was shoved to one side as the twins instinctively darted forward and grabbed two of the dead figures' wands.

"Expelliamus!"They cried in perfect unison, aiming at the struggling pair.

The remaining loyal Death Eater screamed in frustration as his wand soared from his fingertips, to the twins' feet, and such a vicious fight ensued, that even Fred and George feared to intervene.

This time, the rebel received a harsh beating, causing the watching children to flinch and wince at the cracking and thudding sounds of bone upon bone, upon flesh. Eventually their black clad defender gained the advantage, pinning his opponent to the ground and snapping his neck with a twist that took considerable effort.

The boys found themselves panting with relief at the incredible stillness that followed this chaos, as the renegade collapsed fully on top of his victim exhausted. The boys remained frozen, watching as their enigma scrambled gracelessly to his feet, and his slumped shoulders straightened slowly, as he regained his composure.

Ron was shocked to realise that his brothers had hesitantly raised their newly claimed wands in the direction of their rescuer.

The renegade stood tall and alone, his dark robes silhouetted against the night sky; a sea of black shrouded bodies strewn at his feet.

He glanced fleetingly around at his gruesome handiwork, before stooping to search amongst the debree.

Ron released a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding, and slumped over, trying to process all the action he'd just witnessed. It had all happened so fast; he'd never seen anything like it, he felt as if his feet had sunk into the ground below. The twins were motionless beside him, but their eyes and wands were on the eerie figure, searching among the dead.

The peculiar Death Eater located his own wand amongst the wreckage, and stood up. Again Ron could feel the magical power and energy radiating from the man he had instinctively feared.

The man made towards them and Ron automatically recoiled, as did the twins, raising their wands pointedly, wary of this unexpected saviour.

The tall man stopped in reluctant exasperation.Brutally tearing off his mask, he shook his head free of the cavernous black hood and exposed his face.

A long, tousled mane of scraggly black hair fell from within, and out of the depths, a pale face with sharp cheekbones, piercing black eyes and a viciously twisted nose, emerged.

There was a stunned silence, then…

"Bloody **_hell_**!"Breathed a twin incredulously.

"Snape?"

Ron gaped at the man, who met his gaze wilfully, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he breathed fiercely.

"That was friggin' incredible!"

"Where is _Potter_?" Snape's harsh voice was unusually tight and savage.

"He…uh…he…"

"Out with it, **boy**!"

"It's…t…the Shrieking Shack - he's at the Shrieking Shack."Ron managed, finding his voice at last.

"The Shrieking Shack…" Snape murmured to himself, thinking fast and taking a last glance around at the shadows,"It's this way."

He strode into the darkness. The boys stared after him, their fallen mouths remaining open in bewilderment. After a moment, Snape turned back to face them with a naturally imposing swirl of his cloak. Seeing them still standing there by the bodies, he frowned almost nervously.

"What are you waiting for? Come _with_ me you fools!"

The twins exchanged a glance and started forward immediately, hesitantly Ron jogged after them.

"Weasley!" All three of them stopped. Snape rolled his eyes gently and sighed, somewhat put out, "Err…_Ronald_ Weasley."

Ron gave a short nod.

"Grab Avery's wand."

Nervously retrieving it, Ron quickly followed Snape and the twins, keeping much closer to their dreaded Professor than would usually have been acceptable.

"Thanks, Sir."

"We were in _seriously_ massive trouble back there."

Ron was startled by the twins' audacity. But the twins were far more familiar with the Professor than he, having spent considerable time with the unapproachable man in Potions classes, extra classes and detentions, over the last seven years.

"…Don't mention it."

Ron stared at the man, astounded.

Snape glanced furtively behind them again."I only hope I haven't blown my cover. I may still need it."

He looked fleetingly down at the twins, unwilling to hold their gaze.

"That's... why I had to kill every one of them; otherwise they'd have known my true loyalties."

Snapewatched as he twins noddedwith understanding, and reflected, muttering with seeming difficulty, "I'm…_sorry _you had to see that – the bloody 'sacrifices of war' and all that..."

Fred and George cut in with a cheerful façade. "Well, if it's any conciliation, given the choice of die horribly…"

"or watch Snape kill _five_ Death Eaters…"

"…we'd choose the latter every time."

Snape paled slightly,"God, Molly's going to kill me…"

Ron smiled in suprise at the familiarity in Snape's voice. The twins stared at Snape.

"You just killed _five_ Death Eaters…" George exclaimed emphatically again.

"Two of them with your bare hands!"

"…and you're scared of our mum?"

Snape grimaced inwardly.

Memories of their mother's temper assaulted the twins and each winced, catching the other's gaze.

"Yeeeeah, she's gonna kill you!" George agreed, nodding in resignation.

"You haven't a hope in hell."

They grinned mischievously at him, but stopped short at the look on his face.

" "Sorry." "

Snape sighed, but did not reply. Instead, he gave Ron a first, scrutinising glance.

"How did the three of you get out here?"

"…Uh…well S…Sir, I was inside when the attack began, b…but Dumbledore apparated Harry out of the Castle t…to the Shrieking Shack for safety - 'cause it's out of Hogwart's grounds and everything…"

Snape nodded impatiently.

"…and Dumbledore sent Hermione and me with him, but…something happened, and I was sent in the opposite direction. I landed at the top of the hill by the lake."

"Damn." Snape murmured to himself, staring intently at the ground as they rushed through the darkness. "Dumbledore must have been hit by a curse that skewered his magical flow."

The twins stopped walking, abruptly. "They got the Headmaster?"

"I didn't say they 'got ' him," Snape snapped angrily, "I merely suggested he'd been hit. There's no need to be melodramatic."

"Says the tall dark stranger in the black cape." Fred muttered to himself.

Snape threw an anxious look back towards the Castle.

"But only a highly powerful curse can distort the victim's spell like that, and considering how strong Albus is…" He glanced hesitantly at the children beside him, "that doesn't bode well."

Ron's mind was reeling; not only had he heard Snape just refer to Dumbledore as 'the victim', but a horrible thought had struck him.

"Sir…do you think that Harry and Hermione got split up too?"

Snape sighed and shook his head worriedly. "It's entirely possible. Perhaps neither of them made it to the Shrieking Shack at all, in which case I shall have to search the grounds. But it would be deeply unfortunate if they were not there. Death Eaters are patrolling."

An uneasy, sinking feeling descended upon the brothers. Snape glanced down at the twins.

"How did _you_ two get out of the Castle?"

"We didn't, Sir."

"We were already outside."

"Ahh, yes."Snape said, with a smirk of understanding, "Undoubtedly roaming the 'Forbidden' Forest."

The twins looked at each other in bemused surprise, at the revelation that their harsh Potion's Master had known about their nocturnal escapades. At the look on their faces, Snape smirked and explained further.

"I am often in the Forest myself, and there is rarely an occasion on which you two are not to be found petering about on the edge. For centuries it has fallen to the Head of _Slytherin_ to protect students from the Forest, **despite** the fact that only mindless Hufflepuffs and ridiculously chivalrous Gryffindors ever venture into the trees at night."

He grinned, distracted by his own amusement at the twins' indignant faces. "Slytherins have too strong a survival instinct," he explained,"and Ravenclaws are blessed with a little something called '_intelligence'_."

The twins scoffed at this remark but shook their heads good-naturedly, for once refusing to rise to Snape's baiting.

Their professor, in turn, dropped the well-practised pretence. "You had a close escape this time, though. The majority of the Death Eaters used the Forest as their apparition point."

There was a silence, as the enormity of danger that the twins had faced was fully appreciated by the boys.

"Professor…" Ron's soft voice shook, revealing his apprehension, "…who's going to win?"

Snape looked down at him, sharply, and Ron flinched slightly, in expectation of some derisive remark. But Snape did not mock him; he simply hesitated carefully before answering.

"Your sister is still in still inside, is she not?"

Ron nodded placing incredible gravity on his teacher's next words. Snape paused, before increasing their pace through the shadows, and answering tightly.

"I honestly cannot say.We are outnumbered by Death Eater's three to one here - that's including the older Hogwart's students, most of whom will still make unworthy duelling opponents – but the Dark Lord has attacked on our turf; we now hold the defensive position. And that will prove to be hugely advantageous in this battle."

"So…so it could go either way?"

"Essentially…yes."

"Then we _must_ go back and fight, Sir – _we_ could make all the difference!"

"You three will not make any noticeable improvement to our odds, I assure you-"

"Maybe not us, but **you**…you're a powerful wizard, you could…"

"I cannot fight the Dark Lord directly without revealing my true allegiances." Growled Snape through clenched teeth. "If this fight is fought and there are _no_ winners, our position will not have changed and my skills at espionage will again be required. Dumbledore has made it clear that my assignment is, at all times, to protect Harry Potter. The Headmaster's priority is, naturally, to defend Hogwart's and her students, as is Minerva's, and each ofour othersoldiers has their own duty. At the moment, I am trying to honour mine."

In his dejection, Ron caught sight of the Whomping Willow's daunting outline on the hill up ahead. They were almost at the Shrieking Shack.

As they drew nearer, Snape seized a stick from the ground and charmed it quietly. Ron watched with fascination, as it scuttled through the grass and pressed the knot on the tree trunk that rendered the Whomping Willow harmless.

Ducking under the low branches, he and the twins followed Snape's curved form through the entrance to the secret passage leading into the heart of the Shack itself. Lighting their wands, they began the long walk through the darkened stone passageway.

"Professor," The twins began in unison, jogging to keep up with him.

"won't it look a bit suspicious…"

"…when all the other Death Eater's - "

" in your patrol –

"…are discovered dead…"

" - by you-know-who - "

"..and you're nowhere to be found…"

"…Sir?"

They were panting.

Snape did not turn around.

"Yes…" He hesitated quietly. "That is where things will start to get complicated."

The twins waited avidly for his explanation, but at that moment, the door at the end of the corridor crashed open and two voices screamed,

"EXPELLIAMUS…"

A white light sped towards Snape.

"PROTEGO!" The light ricocheted off the barrier Snape had erected and was deflected back upon its creators, illuminating their faces.

Snape caught their wands easily.

Ron had recognised their attackers.

"Harry! Hermione!"

"Ron!" Hermione ran to him, shoving Snape roughly aside,against the wall of the tunnel, and throwing her arms around Ron. "Oh God, _Ron_, I was so worried about you! What happened?"

Ron felt himself blushing, as he awkwardly patted her back in front of the others. "S'okay 'Mione, I'm fine. The spell just-"

"_Not_ that this display isn't heart-warming, but could we possibly postpone the romance until **after** the war?"

The twins snorted in delight.

"Professor Snape!" Hermione gasped in surprise, looking to where he had fallen unceremoniously against the wall, and glancing uncertainly at Ron. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"I should have thought that was obvious, Miss Granger. I'm here to protect Dumbledore's 'Golden-Boy' over there."

"But I thought…"

Snape shoved himself off the earthen wall and strode up the tunnel.

"Are you alright, Potter?" He asked in a seemingly uncaring manner.

Harry remained in the doorway, his arms folded protectively across his chest.

"I'm fine, Sir."

Snape nodded."The rest of you, come out of that tunnel, now."

He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and steered him backward into the room. The others quickly followed -Ron giving Harry a rough hug.

" 'was bloody worried 'bout you-"

"I'm fine. What the hell _happened_ to you?"

"Long story."

"Yeah? When did Snape enter it?"

The twins clapped Harry hard on the back.

"He's got the starrin' bloody role!"

"You're lookin' at one knight in shinin' armour!"

Harry stared,"What?"

"Professor, are you...alright?" They looked up at the sound of Hermione's voice.

She was peering into the corner of the room, where Snape was on his hands and knees.

The twins moved closer to him in concern. He appeared to be examining the wooden floor intently.

"Er…Professor?"

There was a creaking sound as a floorboard was lifted, then Snape rose to his feet. He held a dark green bottle in one hand. He unscrewed the cap and discarded it uncerimoniously, then sank heavily into an armchair and took a deep swig.

The others looked at each other unsure of what to say. Snape noticed their behaviour and frowned in exasperation.

"Oh, sit _down_! For Merlin's sake…" He hissed, crossing his legs over the arm of his chair and staring at the ceiling. He took another gulp of the liquid and winced.

The twins alighted upon an ancient bed, whilst Ron, Hermione and Harry perched on various broken wooden chairs. They studied Snape in silence.

He turned away to avoid their scrutinising eyes and ran his hand shakily over his face.

"Professor, what are you drinking?" Asked Hermione quietly, looking at the floor.

"I don't see that the answer to that question is any of your concern."

Hermione made no reply. Snape examined his wand, pensively.

"It's alcohol…whiskey in fact.The strongest I could find."

Hermione hesitated."What was it doing under the floorboards?"

Snape face held a strange expression."Do you know Hermione, that alcohol is a very strong painkiller?"

Ron and Harry exchanged troubled glances. Snape laughed, ominously.

"Amazing, isn't it? There are so many potions to ease pain, all of which are well within my capability, yet I'm forced to resort to this pitiful muggle remedy. It doesn't change its properties with age, you see." He smirked at the bottle. "Only its quality."

He turned to face them at last, and locked Hermione in a sinister gaze.

"I often apparate here after…meetings."

Hermione had no reply; she could not bring herself to ask more about Snape's encounters with the Dark Lord. Awkwardly, she broke eye contact with the man. Snape collapsed back into the chair and took another long drink.

The door in the corner crashed open…

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS OMNIS!" Snape had leapt to his feet; his eyes were wild, his wand extended and two figures lay motionless in the doorway.

There was a shocked stillness in the room.

"God, that was fast…" breathed Hermione.

George was grinning gleefully, "Yep, that's our Snape!"

" 's not just a pretty face!"

Snape glowered at the twins, malevolently.

"That's for sure…" murmured Ron, peering over at the bodies. "Bloody hell, he wasn't kiddin' about protecting you, mate! Harry?"

"It's Sirius!" Harry spun round, his facelit with excitment. "It's Sirius and Remus…Snape, take the spell off, let them up!"

Snape staggered forward, shoving Harry out of his path.He rolled his eyes as he caught sight of his childhood nemeses and turned on his heel. "Oh, _bloody_ hell, it's the mutt brigade…" He strolled back towards his armchair, swiping the whiskey bottle back off the table.

"Snape! Aren't you gonna help them?"

"Must I?" Drawled Snape disdainfully. He smiled mirthfully at Sirius' glassy eyes and stiff limbs.

"Yes!"Said Harry, Ron and Hermione together.

"Fine, fine." Snape sighed, pushing himself up and strolling forwards. He raised his wand wearily, "Finite incantatem."

The newcomers stirred instantly, regaining the ability to move.

"Snape! You absolute TOSSER!" Sirius yelled furiously, catching sight of the man before him. "What the f-?"

"Don't even bother, Black, it's been a long day." Snape turned his back dismissively and took another long drink.

Sirius advanced on him,"Why, you...!"

"Sirius, no!" Fred and George seized the animagus and tore him away from Snape.

"You can't hurt him!"

"He saved our lives…"

"What?" Sirius growled at the identical redheads.

Ron stepped up.

"It's true, Sirius; he's here to protect Harry."

Snape stared at his defenders, apparently taken aback. The twins grinned warmly and he started, quickly pasting a condescending frown on his face.

Sirius snarled at him from within the boys' clutches, and Snape raised his eyebrows and his bottle simultaneously, drinking to the twins' attitudes from his corner, andlooking determinedly unflustered at Sirius' furious struggles in his direction.

Lupin got up off the floor with effort as Hermione alighted at his side.

"Well, at least you're here Harry. We've been looking for you." Remus gave a slight smile."Sirius was going spare…"

"I was worried;" Sirius protested, "there's a bloody war going on out there! We killed **three** Death Eaters on the way over here!"

"Snape killed five!"

" - Two of them with his bare hands!"

There was a loud, appreciative snort from Snape's corner.

Sirius glared angrily at the twins as Snape couldn't help but smirk derisively at him. Lupin hurriedly intervened. "So, you're alright, Harry?"

"I'm fine! I'm no worse than anyone else here, I just…" he sighed, "I'm worried about the others, up at the Castle…"

"Hey," Sirius put a comforting hand on his godson's shoulder, "the Aurors have arrived now, they're attacking the Death Eaters. Dumbledore will have sent the students to safety."

Harry looked away.

"Listen to me, Harry. Things will be okay…"

"Don't be so damn naïve, Black," Snape spat bitterly, not looking up from his bottle, "and stop lying to the boy! It won't be 'okay'. **Nothing** will be okay. This battle could still last for days and we've no idea how many lives haveor remain to be lost. Nonetheless, hundreds of Death Eaters fighting hundreds of Aurors, in a children's _school_ full of innocent bystanders, _is_ not and _will_ not be 'okay'!"

"Thank you, Snape, for that vote of _confidence_." Sirius hissed.

"I'm just being realistic, you fool. You should not dare to dishonour the children and fighters whose lives are lost here today, by belittling this battle's significance!"

Snape's eyes flickered over Ron and Harry. "Don't delude yourselves, the Dark Lord is more powerful now than he has been since his return.We have no hope but to prepare to fight harder than ever before, and remain true to each other…"

"Oh, and you're the bloody _expert_ on that subject aren't you?" Retorted Sirius sarcastically.

He hit a nerve.

Snape fell silent.

"No arguing with that, is there, _Death Eater_?"

Hermione gasped quietly; Ron and Harry shifted uncomfortably.

Lupin sighed.

The twins were openly glaring.

Snape fixed Sirius with a striking stare andSirius raised an eyebrow, menacingly. Snape glanced around at the others, before turning away.

"I don't have to explain myself to you…"

"As if you could!"

"Oi !" Bellowed the twins, enraged on Snape's behalf.

"Sirius, shut up, you're not helping anyone." Lupin said quietly.

"Yeah, don't be a git, Sirius - he just risked his _life_ to save ours…"

"-And _more_ than proved he was no Death Eater!"

Even Ron reluctantly joined the twins in Snape's defence, speaking up quietly from Harry's side.

"He really isn't, Sirius."

"Everybody knows that." Lupin placated quietly, his eyes on Severus' lowered head.

"Listen…er...what do we do now?" Asked Harry, to change the subject more than anything else. "Should we try to get back to the Castle to fight?"

"No." Snape said quickly. "Nobody is to leave. I can protect you here. If you were to return to the Castle, Potter, it would do more harm than good."

"**You** can protect him? Come off it Snape!" Spat Sirius cruelly. "We don't need you here-Remus and me are more than enough protection for Harry…"

" - It's amazing that you're truly selfish enough to put Harry at risk by driving me away, out of mere distaste."

"It's more of a **_hatred-_**"

"My point still stands."

There was silence. Everybody's eyes bore into Sirius, who could make no reasonable retort.

Snape's clear, cold voice cut through the dusty air.

"I thought you loved the boy, Black?"

Sirius swallowed angrily, clenching his teeth.

"I do. But he doesn't need _you_. Remus and I would die to save him."

"You probably will." Whispered Snape harshly. "And you aren't the only ones. But I'm not leaving, Black. Dumbledore wants me here." His gaze fellintently to the bottle in his hand.

" -Yeah, I'm sure that you sittin' there getting pissed out of your head was _exactly_ what the Headmaster had in mind!"

Snape leapt to his feet, advancing on Sirius angrily, the bottle clenched at his side. "I am not intoxicated! I would never let Albus down - I had you and Lupin unconscious before you even got through the **door**!"

Sirius strode forward furiously. "Oh well done, _Snape_! Let's just attack everybody on our side until we win!"

"STOP IT, Sirius!" The ex-convict turned at the sound of his godson's voice. Harry was frowning at him in disbelief. "He wants to _help_, can't you see that?"

With a final glare the two men broke apart. Sirius paced across the room towards Harry and Remus. Snape retreated slowly back into his armchair.

Hermione nervously examined the others in the room. She desperately wanted to break the tension. Lupin seemed the calmest, leaning heavily against the wall, facing the door.

"Professor Lupin?"

"Yes?"

"Er…how did you know the Castle was under attack?"

He smiled; recognising Hermione's poor attempt at conversation for what it was.

"Oh…well, Dumbledore sent an alarm to the ministry to alert their Aurors, but there's an alarm in the Order Headquarters, which was set up to be triggered by violent attacks in a number of prominent public buildings, including Hogwart's of course."

"So you and Sirius were at the Headquarters at the time?"

"Yes, a number of us were there. We were… well, actually we were awaiting the return of Severus. The others went to aid in the defence of the Castle, but Sirius and I came straight into the grounds to search for Harry and you two. It had always been arranged that in case of a direct attack Dumbledore would break the apparating wards and get Harry straight out of the Castle, but it was never agreed as to exactly where he would send you.There were a number of other places we had discussed as possibilities, so we checked some of those first. Then we encountered a number of Death Eaters and managed to kill…"

There was a sharp crash in the corner of the room.

Snape had leapt to his feet and was gripping the base of his hair in sudden dismay. The whiskey bottle lay broken on the floor, and the strong smell of liquor assaulted their nostrils.

"Shit." Snape ran his other hand across his face.

"What? What is it?" Lupin asked quickly, moving closer in concern. Sirius glowered at Snape from his position against the opposite wall.

Snape caught Lupin's eyes in a frantic but calculating gaze. "Hagrid. Hagrid wouldn't have been at the Castle. He'd be in that hut, alone. He might not even know what's happening! If the Death Eaters find him, he can't possibly defend himself against their curses. He has no means of magical defence, except natural resistance from his giant ancestry - it's not enough. The Dark Magic will overcome it."

An icy fist snatched at the hearts of everyone in the room.

"What should we do?"

Snape hesitated.He gazed at the door for a moment, then allowed his eyes to flicker over the students in the room.

"His hut isn't far." Snape's eyes bore heavily into Harry. "I don't see how we can risk sending anyone but me. I'll try to find him, Lupin,if he's alive I'll bring him back with me."

Snape pulled his travelling cloak back onto his shoulders, over the Death Eater robes.

"What do you mean? Wait! Severus, are you sure you should go _alone_? I…"

"Lupin, there are _Death Eaters_ patrolling the grounds.There's a chance I may still be able to work my cover, and if not…" He shook his head doubtfully, "I'll improvise."

"Severus, Idon't…"

"Oh, let him _go,_ Remus – he's the only one of us who can pass for one of those filthy monsters!" Sirius snarled, "You and I can watch over Harry and the others."

Snape glared at him angrily before focusing back on Remus.

"Stun anything that comes through that door; don't wait to see what it is.I f I'm not back in half an hour…" He glanced down at the broken whiskey bottle, "…don't expect me back at all."

Remus gave him a reluctant nod of respect. Pulling his wand and his Death Eater mask from his robes, Snape headed for the door.

"Good luck, Professor." The twins called, shakily.

Snape turned in surprise.

All the students were watching him intently, their eyes filled with trepidation and uncertainty. The twins' faces showed a grim admiration.

Snape found himself nodding in gratitude, and grudgingly broke the eye contact.

Sirius stepped slowly out of his way and Snape moved swiftly through the door into the stone passageway beyond.

"Be careful!" Hermione's voice rang through the passage behind him.

* * *

Please review so I can decide whether to post more! ;) 

In the meantime, my other piece I'm working on is 'The Bad Prank'. It is another Severus based piece, and I'd appreciate your thoughts on it!


	2. Embracing Monsters

Thank you so much for waiting everybody, I can neither express my gratitude, nor apologise enough for the delay. I hope you enjoy these two chapters.

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CHAPTER 2 : EMBRACING MONSTERS

* * *

Harry was suddenly aware of darkness, and of an inescapable, cold sensation infiltrating his bones and seeping painfully into his flesh. As he moved to raise his head from the ground, a dull pain hit him, and he emitted a low groan, opening his eyes groggily.

"Harry! Oh thank Merlin, are you all right?" As Harry struggled to make out his surroundings in the dull, flickering light, he found Sirius suddenly crouching at his side, and became aware of figures hovering around him.

"Ugh…Sirius?" Harry groaned, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"I'm here, Harry, don't worry."

"Where am I?"

"Come on, Harry, on your feet-" Harry felt a strong hand grip his upper arm and heave him off the ground.

"Where are we, Sirius?"

"Uh…"

Harry's eyes adjusted slowly to the dim, flickering light, and he saw Sirius glance uncomfortably past his shoulder for assistance.

Harry turned to see Lupin standing behind him, his face strangely pale without its usual smile.

The man stepped forward wearily. "Harry… we're in a cell. The Death Eaters raided the Shrieking Shack. They used… some sort of paralysing muggle gas. I'm _sorry_, Harry; we never imagined they would resort to such…" Lupin shook his head despairingly. "We just weren't prepared. I'm sorry."

Harry found himself staring about for something to disprove this explanation, but the sight of a dread-stricken Ron watching him intently whilst comforting a trembling Hermione his arms, and of the twins standing apart, rocking together in the depths of the small cell was enough to quash Harry's faint hope.

Hermione broke from Ron in a sudden display of courage, moving to their distressed guardian's side. "P- Professor Lupin, it wasn't your fault, we none of us could have guessed that t-the Death Eaters would do…what they did."

"Bloody ironic really - their resortin' to muggle methods." A twin interjected, his voice bitter with resentment.

"Nonetheless," Lupin reflected softly, "I have let Dumbledore down." Sirius strayed inconsolably from Remus, at his childhood friend's dejected murmur, "And I am no _longer_ your professor…Hermione."

Harry drifted instinctively to Ron's motionless form, still feeling dazed and horrified at the reality of their situation. He stared silently at the red head for a moment, before Ron steeled himself and clapped a stalwart arm on Harry's shoulder.

"We're alright, Harry." Ron controlled the slight shake in his voice firmly. "We'll be alright."

Harry looked away through the iron bars of their concrete chamber into the identical cell opposite. A narrow walkway divided the two prisons, lighted sporadically by magnificent flaming torch brackets. "It's only a matter of time, Ron. I don't see us escaping from here."

Hermione interrupted decisively, "Well, you will excuse us if we don't entirely lose faith in our situation, Harry; after all, you did learn the art of foresight from _Trelawney_."

Harry, Ron and the twins snorted with the little mirth they could muster.

Harry gazed sorrowfully at the troubled faces of his friends and felt a surge of affection and gratitude for their bravery. He caught Lupin's eye as the man raised his head from his hands and Harry smiled reassuringly into the weary, grief-stricken eyes. Harry did not blame his old professor; he was aware that Lupin would have willingly sacrificed his life to avoid their being captured. Over Lupin's shoulder, however, Harry saw the lone, shadowed figure of his Godfather, turned away from them all, staring taciturnly through the bars, unmoving and silent.

Harry thought, to his dismay, that he could see the man's fingers trembling at his side. Sirius had not yet had time to recover from the horrors of _Azkaban_…

"They've…locked us all in one cell." Harry speculated suddenly, turning to the others. "Why?"

"We haven't a wand between us; we hardly pose a threat to our captors, united or otherwise." One of the twins replied indignantly, twisting his fingers distractedly in the murky robes of his counterpart.

"Perhaps they're winning and need to reserve cell space." The other added darkly.

"How many of 'them' _are_ there?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"We can't be sure." Lupin explained, disconsolately. He shifted tensely with a constant unease quite far removed from his usual weary but fluid movements. "_I_ was the first to wake, Harry, and by that time we were already in this cell. That was about..half an hour before you came round."

"And we have no plans for escape?"

"Not…as of yet. We know nothing of our surroundings, and we've no way of communicating with the Order-"

"So that's it!"

"_No_, Harry." Lupin consoled him tightly. "-We just need a little more time to asses the _potential_ of our situation. Don't lose heart."

Harry fell silent. He could certainly make no promises on _that_ matter. He walked slowly past Lupin and reached out towards the dark figure of his Godfather, tentatively.

"Sirius, are you…_alright_?"

"I promised myself I wouldn't be imprisoned again. Swore I'd die first. Already done my time in hell - nothing left to fear _there_, eh?" Sirius wrenched away, trembling, shaking his head in fury and hopelessness. "I swore, Harry! I swore…" His tormented black eyes fell upon his Godson, and Sirius grew still once more. "Then again, I swore by my blood to protect_ you_; to save you from this… it seems I'm hardly a man of my word – I've failed magnificently on all accounts."

"_Sirius!_ We are none of us dead **yet**." Remus rebuked his friend determinedly. "There is still hope; there is still time. If the Order is victorious in the battle at Hogwart's, they will track us down; Severus will find a way to tell them where we are. And if they _lose_... well. We will save ourselves."

There was a pause of admiration as the other inhabitants of the cell embraced the stirring encouragement of Lupin's personal conviction. However, the dramatic effect of the moment was somewhat lessened by Ron's tentative query, "Er…how can you be sure they won't simply kill us outright, Professor?"

There was a stunned pause as everybody looked at him, and then...

"_Ron_!" Hermione burst indignantly. "How do propose to **help** anyone with comments like _that_?"

"I'm just _saying_ 'Mione-"

His flustered protests broke off as the dungeon door at the top of the stairs crashed open, revealing four dark figures. The clunk reverberated through the cavernous dungeon, and Harry and the others drew back fearfully, away from the bars.

"Move, you _bleedin_' wretch!"

Before the captives' frightened, waiting eyes, one of the figures buckled, falling forward from the darkness, and then snapping to an abrupt stop, dangling with a raw cry of anguish, as he was caught by a fist in his hair. "On your feet, you dir'y mongrel…" The same voice sneered with disgust.

"You traitor, you _betrayed_ us! – **You**, of all people! Ruddy _fool_…"

"I DIDN'T! I swear, I _didn__'t_! The Dark Lord is everything to me-" The pleading voice was so raw with desperation that Harry was utterly convinced by its sincerity, and cursed the cruelty of the Death Eaters, as they marched their writhing captive down the dark steps with wholly unnecessary violence, given his unmistakably weak and unsteady countenance.

"There's no hiding anymore, _Snape_. We've got proof-"

Harry's jaw fell open in shock, and heard Hermione's stifled cry at his side. Snape? That was _Snape_! But he had sounded so utterly _innocent_…

Evidently their spy was quite extraordinarily talented.

"We found Nott, Goyle, McNair and Sluggart all 'orribly murdered – as you've no doubt guessed!"

"That was no fault of mine! – I esca- _oomph...__"_

Harry winced as a savage slug to the stomach silenced their spy's endeavouring protests, and Snape's long, wiry body doubled over with coughing, a dark substance dripping from his mouth to the steps. He was forced to stumble on down the stairs, a Death Eater clinching each of his arms fiercely behind his back.

"Pretty brutally mangled bodies, Snape –"

" 'Specially Avery, bloody _hell_, you nearly twisted his head from his shoulders! And 'ere was me thinking you'd gone _soft __– _sorely mistaken, eh?"

"It's in your nature, _Snape_, isn't it?"

" 't always has been! You were bleedin' _destined_ to wind up as one of us. I don't know what you thought you were doing, tryin' to leave us now."

A Death Eater brushed his lips against Snape's ear, spitefully, "You left each of them for dead – did a fairly spectacular job of it as _well_ – with **one** exception; McNair. _That_ poor bastard you left twitching and frothing at the mouth; his neck and nervous system twisted and warped beyond all restoration. But he was still alive…alive enough for _our_ purposes anyway. We sucked his memory from his skull as he choked on his own spit. And would you _guess_ what we discovered? The unmistakable identity…of their _mystery_ mutilator."

"You can't tell me you didn't feel a shiver of _excitement_, Snape, as you felt each body go **_limp_** in your hands-"

Snape snapped; energy seemed to course through him as he thrashed out suddenly, enraged, smashing his head against the leering Death Eater's face, whose grip on Snape's arm faded in his immediate agony. Wrenching his arm free, Snape twisted, seizing the neck of the Death Eater behind him and heaving him with all the strength he could muster down the short distance to the bottom of the steps, falling sideways himself with an uncontrolled lurch and knocking the third Death Eater sideways over the banister with his shoulder.

Harry lunged forward against the bars of the cell in disbelief, unable to tear his eyes from Snape, and in moments he felt the twins beside him, screaming impassioned, "Go, Snape! _C__'mon_, run!"

Harry could not _breathe_ as he watched Snape stagger against the banister railings, then turn and sprint desperately up the long stone stairway, accompanied by the resounding bellows of the recovering Death Eaters and Harry's eager cell mates.

Snape was so _close_ to escaping, scrambling only _feet_ from the door… but as Harry's eyes flickered around the rest of the scene, he realized that already it was too _late_! The Death Eaters were on their feet; their wands were raised, glowing, waving **_and_**….

Everything stopped.

The twins' cries died in their throats; the Death Eaters paused in their casting; the powerful echoes faded into dust…

Snape not moving. He stood only two steps from the door…and he was unable to go further.

As Harry watched in helpless horror, the long, thin figure swayed precariously on the spot, wavering in _agonising_ suspense, and then, before the raised, beseeching eyes of his dependents, the black-shrouded body collapsed…and was launched _backwards_…

He seemed to be in motion for an eternity before the first, sickening thud sounded through the dungeon, and Snape's body crashed, unprotected, against the stone; his defenceless figure careered down the unyielding steps and his lengthy limbs distorted wildly as he was cast against the jagged rock, again and again.

His bloodied carcass landed gracelessly at the feet of his captors. There was a devastated pause of incomprehension amongst the prisoners. And then, one, lone Death Eater laughed.

"_Enervate_."

Commanded mercilessly, Snape's tormented body began to slowly untwist itself, and the man emitted a savage, primal cry of sheer agony.

The dominant Death Eater placed his boot on the obsidian nape of Snape's neck, forcing the man's fragile face further into the concrete, with a look of remorseless indifference.

"Now, now, Severus; no need to play for crowd. There's plenty o' time for that – we'll see that they're kept entertained!"

He crouched, wrenching Snape's face up into his own, "Yes, that's _right_. We've got the Potter boy, and his lapdogs…"

"_No_.." Snape's broken voice was unlike Harry had ever heard it before, hoarse with despair, pleading shamelessly, almost…_weak. _Harry felt his hope guttering with the dying light of the torch opposite.

"Oh _yeah_," The Death Eater confirmed Snape's dread with glee, "**He's** goin' _nowhere_. And I'll have no more talk of your innocence, _Snape_, the support demonstrated by those freckled _muggle-_lovers is more than enough to condemn your loyalties."

Harry felt the twins shrink away in horror, recognizing their mistake and its implications for Snape.

The Death Eater drew back to his full height and strode haltingly along the causeway, not relinquishing his vicious grip on Snape's matted hair, but lugging the helpless spy along the ground behind him, with irregular snaps of Snape's limp neck. Their Professor seemed too faint even to respond to the pain.

"The Dark Lord has strictly forbidden us to play with _those _prisoners as of yet-"

Another Death Eater cut in, running his wand hungrily along the bars of Harry's cell. "He seems to think we might inadvertently kill the boy."

"-**You**, on the other hand," A grin of malice replaced the leader's previous, bitter tone. "Our Master is _most_ displeased with _you._" He yanked Severus to his feet and slammed him into the bars of Harry's cell, securing his body against the metal by the neck of his robes.

"He's given us the liberty to _indulge_ ourselves... " The Death Eater leered suggestively, his face only inches from Snape's own, as the fading man whimpered hopelessly in anguished protest.

" 'Ere, no blackin' out on us now!" Another Death Eater intervened callously, grasping Snape from his collaborator by the robes, "Our fun's not yet begun!" He spun his captive's upright body round to face Harry and the others, shoving their professor's face against the bars and a collective cry was drawn from the prisoners, every one of them shrinking away from the bars.

The flesh of Snape's face was revealed at last, illuminated clearly in the dull firelight. His once sharp, elegant features were mutilated; distorted and swollen beyond recognition; the entire left side of his face had been pulverised, and now swelled, the bursting purple tissue deepening feverishly.

His left cheekbone was _black_ with bruise from an impact so deep that it seemed to have broken the bone itself, leaving his visage lopsided and misshapen. His left eye, once so magnetising, so striking, was now swollen shut in its socket, thick blood seeping from beneath its engorged purple hood.

But it was not these disfigurements that most horrified Harry.

Snape's bottom lip had been torn away from his left cheek by the force of some blow, and the bloody flesh now flapped hideously as the man laboured to breathe, revealing the roots of his white, pointed teeth, encrusted with blood themselves in the tissue of his lower jaw.

The sounds of overwhelming, _sobbing _hysteria deafened Harry as he stared at the monstrous vision protruding through the metal bars. But as he stared enraptured, his attention was drawn away from the blood-stained, hair-matted mangle of flesh on the left side, and instead to the dark, entrancing eye that constituted Snape's remaining source of vision, and in which obsidian pool a consuming fire of desperation and determination had awakened at the sight of Harry.

Snape seemed to slowly return to lucidity as he locked his gaze with Harry's, who found himself suddenly compelled to return the terrible, ardent stare, nurturing Snape's endurance and incentive to fight with his own bright, injured soul.

"Oh, yes You _might _be wonderin' about that change in his _visage_." The Death Eater at Snape's back mocked casually. "I can't say in all honesty that I don't consider it an _improvement _to the grotesque countenance he 'ad before, but seein' as 'ow you all commented so tactfully…"

The Death Eater forced Snape to look at him, tearing his head sideways by the roots at his bleeding hairline. The man's gravely voice was sickly thick with glee, as he sneered revoltingly admiring the damage done to Snape's delicate face.

"Our boy did quite a number on you, didn't he? 'E didn't take a lot o' convincin' to fight for us neither, all things considered. That's the _trouble_ with these bloody half-breeds, Snape, they've no sense o' **loyalty!** But then… perhaps that'd be why you seem to relate to them so easily, eh?"

Snape's marred features were twisted into a look of disgust. - Harry privately marvelled that the man could move any _part_ of his face without collapsing in pain. – The Death Eater raised his fat club of a hand to touch Snape's sensitive face, tentatively licking his lips, as though savouring the sight. "Let's just have a feel o' those pretty bruises, eh? That monster does beautiful work, he'd be a bleedin' asset to us-"

Harry flinched as Snape spat bloodily into his molester's face with an outraged look of utter revulsion.

There was a horrible tension as the man slowly wiped the spit from his face, and silently regarded Snape with a patronising, chiding expression. Harry closed his eyes anticipating the retaliation before it feel, and sure enough, there was a roar and a thud, and when Harry looked again, Snape was retching and gasping, crouched on all fours at the foot of the bars, and the Death Eater's face bore a look of malevolent loathing.

"Go ahead, Snape, by all means chivvy us along towards your vicious beating!" The gruff, sardonic voice of the third Death Eater contributed, unlocking the cell opposite Harry's and throwing wide the door. "After all, we did bring a couple of these visitors here with the specific intent of letting them witness you at your weakest and most suffering, so as to provide moral support for you in your time of need."

Snape dragged himself up the bars to a sitting position, and was wrenched from there, exhausted, to his feet. The Death Eater drew closer to his quarry, throwing an arm tight around his shoulders in a facetious gesture of intimacy, ignoring Snape's pained groans as his damaged ribs were deliberately compressed.

"You see in that corner?" The voice seemed to purr with enjoyment. Snape struggled pitifully to raise his head and follow the sardonically whispering man's unmistakeable direction, "That would be the _charming _Sirius Black, whom we brought here specifically to offer you strength, in what will undoubtedly be a very trying time for you. We are well aware of how you abhor _privacy_, Snape. Let us share the pain and humiliation, shall we?"

With that, Snape's unresisting form was dragged backwards, his grasping skeletal fingers ripped from the bars and he was thrown brutally back against the inner wall of the opposite cell, where the other Death Eaters descended upon him, kicking savagely at their cowering traitor's back and midsection, as the powerless spy struggled to shelter his head with his wiry arms, scrabbling along the wall for some sort of defence or reprieve.

"Oh! _Please_," motioned the remaining unoccupied Death Eater mildly, stepping aside graciously to afford the prisoners an inescapable view of their spy's suffering, "do enjoy the show…"

Harry watched, hanging in stunned revulsion. He was morbidly fascinated by the vision of his feared and respected Professor contorting and rolling in constant, ever-worsening response to the brutal assault upon him. To his disgust, Harry found himself unable to respond, simply staring and staring in surreal acceptance, flinching on cue at the hollow, tearing screams and gasps that the beating wrenched sporadically from Snape's being.

To his greater despair, the void of all movement behind him in the cell indicated that the companions he so loved and admired were no more able to respond; to defend Snape, than he.

The climax of Harry's shocked state of suffering found his insides contorting, threatening a visceral reaction, as he was himself left physically _staggering_ in dismay, weakened by horror as the crunch of Snape's facial bones _collapsing _resounded devastatingly through the dungeons. After the initial, devouring, heart-stopping silence that followed this particularly savage, and unnecessarily brutal kick to Snape's smashed head the unrecognisable, unique and solely traumatising sound of their spy rasping and gargling in high-pitched, all consuming panic as he choked, _drowned _on his own blood, unable to breath through the caved in, wreck of a face.

It was at this point that somebody's soul exploded, firing such a passion of spirit that his cell mates trembled in fear, awe, and desperate **gratitude**.

To Harry's surprise, this man was Remus Lupin.

"**STOP**! STOP, YOU _MONSTERS_, _SO HELP ME - I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF-!_" Remus' voice tore with emotion as he cast his body against the bars with uncaring and frighteningly reckless violence. "You _cannot _kick a man with that much damage to his skull in the face! You'll dislodge his bloody _cheekbones_; crush the shards into his brain, you _animals_- ! I thought your Master wanted information from Dumbledore's _supposed _spy? -Could you gather such intelligence from a halfwit with extensive _brain damage!_ How **dare **you treat him like this! Do you imagine your Master will have no punishment for the men who eradicated a potential mind full of tactical secrets on a damn _whim _of pleasure or…revenge!"

"SILENCIO!"

There was a severely pregnant pause.

The torches flickered.

A tight, thin voice made its way luridly out of the darkness. "If you have any objections, _werewolf_, that mudblood _girl_ will take Snape's place, and we'll start again, on your instruction, if you'd prefer?" Hermione shrank backwards into Ron's arms, as Lupin turned towards her, lips parted in dismay. "No, better _still_," The Death Eater amended ominously, "- the girl will take _Snape's_ place, and I'll have **you **take theirs. Then you can show us your reverent beating techniques yourself!"

Lupin fell utterly still, his soulful eyes wide and fearful.

"Anything else to say, _werewolf_? Didn't think so." The Death Eater nodded in satisfaction, aiming his wand over his shoulder. "Mutatus."

There was a marked absence in wretched gurgling behind him, and the prisoners made every effort to see into the cell across the causeway. Snape had fallen still, his back flat against the ground as he found himself able to breathe freely once more; his thin chest rose and fell vigorously.

"Do not presume for a moment that we would risk our Master's distemper or indeed jeopardise his interests for our own gain. We among the Death Eaters are more skilled in healing than the majority of specialists at St. Mungo's, for you see, we have far more opportunity to practise. We can bring a man to the very brink of death a thousand times without allowing him the mercy of transcending. Once a man reaches his uppermost limit, we simply repair him physically and then…" He made a sweeping gesture, "start again!"

Snape's broken body emitted a low, excruciating moan, and his assaulters, who seemed to have been momentarily distracted by Remus' outburst, returned their attentions to his fallen form, one casting a boot almost idly into the small of his back.

"There's no point in this!" Sirius spoke up in exasperation from the back of the cell in his friend's defence. "Your justification for kicking the **crap** out of him is totally flawed - Snape doesn't care whether we see him like this or not – me and him aren't even _enemies_ anymore; that's all behind us!"

"Oh, to the contrary. Do not deceive yourself, Black. You don't have to be a _Legilimens _to see Snape is more afraid of you than he'll **ever **be of us.

That's why you impress us so much, _Black_. You set upon Snape at the only time in his life when he was ever vulnerable to such external attack - singled him out as being weak, _damaged goods_, when others were simply blinded by his unnerving intelligence and his strange propensity towards _solitude_.

Besides, put a bloody monopoly on him, you did, - spent so much time tracking and tormenting him that there was rarely a free, convenient moment for any other student to get a look in - what with him dividing his life almost equally between stints of hiding and quality time in the _hospital _wing!"

Sirius lowered his head, retreating away slightly into the darkness of the cell, under the watchful gaze of his companions.

"Mind you," the Death Eater's face leered further into the bars, "nobody could have matched the sort of nefarious punishments _you _devised for him. You cut a chunk from his soul, mate, mark me. No one's ever exposed him as you did - I wasn't even in his year, but the tales of your _viciousness_ became legend throughout Slytherin.

By the time Snape fell into **our** hands he was already gone. All secrets, all weaknesses scraped from within; there was nothing left for us to touch. We are, all of us, aware that once Snape loses control over his body that's it - he's gone; his mind evacuates in some striking defence mechanism. And yet, _you_... you need only be in a room with Snape and…his personal weaknesses, his particular _history,_ rush to the forefront of his mind. He cannot deny himself as he is so accustomed.

Your power over Snape terrifies him, Black, your presence here is more detrimental to him than all our fists. 'Though," The Death Eater sneered over his shoulder, "we are doing our best to rectify that. As no doubt you can see."

The deadened thumps of fists against flesh were clearly audible as he fell silent.

Sirius shook his head, his lip curling in disgust. " This is madness…I won't watch him. I won't play to your-"

"- Ah, but _Black_. You don't _need _to watch him, do you? You're all too familiar with the sight of Snape lying huddled and bleeding at your feet. Of course... he used to be a lot _smaller_...but little else has changed. Always, so much smaller than _you_.

'You've a lot to answer for, Black. Perhaps as much as he or I."

"That is _not_ true."

"Isn't it? Even if it were _not_, we could make it so. Look away if you like - hide your eyes; _tell_ yourself you're showing Snape the respect he deserves. It won't matter. You see that door?" He pointed to the metal lockdoor at the end of the lighted walkway between the cells. "Snape will be having _private_ sessions in there, with the Dark Lord himself in attendance."

Sirius' brown eyes bore into the man, filled with uncertainty. The Death Eater stroked an iron cell bar, wasting no time in elaborating.

"He'll be told you _watched_. He'll be told you _enjoyed_ it."

Sirius' eyes widened with dismay, and he looked to Remus in creeping horror.

The Death Eater lowered his voice superciliously. "We'll have him thinking you the _perpetrator_ by the end."

Sirius stood stunned and shaken. Stillness reigned through the darkness, and then, suddenly, the dungeon itself seemed to flinch,

Four sharp hisses tore through the dead air and every figure outside the cell recoiled desperately into themselves at once, seizing their left forearms.

Harry felt Ron's hand on his shoulder as he withdrew from the bars. All three Death Eaters quickly recovered their full height, and the two aggressors immediately withdrew from Snape's cell, sealing it with their wands and muttering multiple defence incantations. Harry frowned at what he could only consider the _unnecessary _complexity of the spells, given Snape's incapacitated state.

The prominent Death Eater ushered his companions towards the stone staircase and addressed the captives without sparing a single glance to their direction.

"It is as easy to underestimate Snape as it is dangerous." His face grew dark and his voice deepened as he neared the flight of steps. "Has he not already demonstrated that?"

As he passed finally through the doorway behind his companions, he turned to close the heavy iron door.

"I'd advise you not to raise his hopes. I'd be surprised if there's _one_ among us who hasn't been forced to take the flak for a sabotaged mission. Once the others discover our traitor's identity, he'll be getting a fair few visits down here. They'll not take this lightly." He seized the jutting handle and heaved powerfully.

"Make the most of your time alone, ladies and gents. This summons won't last forever..."

The door swung shut with an irrevocable crash.

Harry's eyes returned to Snape's unmoving figure, pooled in black cloth. His dark stain was barely visible on the ground in the darkness.

* * *

End of Chapter 2 


	3. A Singular History

A Singular History:

* * *

Harry ventured finally to speak, as the man's body showed no signs of recovering further. 

"Sir… Snape?"

A painful croak sounded from the depths of the cell opposite. "Thank you…for that knighthood, Potter."

"What?" Harry's relieved mind registered his own previous words. "Oh…yeah."

The other inhabitants of Harry's cell inched closer to the bars, watching in nervous horror as the man's beaten body scraped harshly against the concrete as he very slowly wrenched himself to his knees.

"Severus?" Remus' soft voice called tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"My health is of no consequence to you; you have concerns of your own."

There was a tense silence as Severus resolutely gathered the strength to drag himself upright. Harry closed his eyes as Hermione hid her face against his chest, tearful with sympathy. Suddenly Snape swayed unsteadily to his feet, gasping as his fingers clutched at a wound in his side, and staggering sideways against the cell wall. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat

"Professor!" Hermione cried, wringing the metal bars with her delicate fingers. Lupin placed a restraining arm around her shoulders and stared past her, into the opposite cell.

"Severus…?"

Snape laughed caustically, shaking his head as he leant against the concrete. "No, _Lupin_, I am not '_alright_'."

An awkward silence loomed over the prisoners, and Sirius broke away from the congregation at the bars, returning to his loitering at the back of the cell. Snape hesitantly began to walk to one side of his cell, remaining in constant contact with the wall, supporting himself one-handedly.

They watched the tall, haunting man pace, devoid of his usual powerful stance. He was blinking and frowning uncertainly, one hand tenderly touching the blood at his hairline. The bruising to his face had barely worsened, but the limp in his walk and his halted, jarring movements were testimony to the hidden damage he had sustained in this recent encounter.

"Severus-" Lupin pleaded, watching Snape's pained progress.

"-I need you to…" Snape faltered almost nervously, "Will you talk to me? Please?"

"…What?" Someone whispered.

"I…have suffered a serious blow to the head. However unpleasant our current surroundings may be, I _cannot_ be allowed to fall unconscious."

"Yeah, they really did a number on your face, Snape," coughed Sirius, without looking up from his dark reverie, " "Left you less pretty than you used to be."

There was a silence as Sirius received a hard, glowering stare across the walkway.

Snape dropped his gaze as he made his next, quiet, revelation. "_They_ didn't do this. At least…not directly. Don't give them undue credit. "

"But then…who..?"

- Lupin was the first to gasp in dismay.

"Oh no…" Hermione looked up, her face broken. "_Hagrid_?"

Ron shrank from her in realisation, and a devastated murmur of comprehension rose from the twins.

Snape confirmed their fears with a grim nod, gingerly fingering the gash across his mouth, and adding grimly, "One punch."

Harry closed his eyes in tight distress, thinking of Hagrid's usual gentle demeanour, and feeling outraged that the Death Eaters could have taken advantage of the half-giant so.

Snape's dark voice penetrated his thoughts, further stirring his emotions.

"…I should have been more cautious; I wasn't thinking straight. I was distracted…." He gritted his teeth with self-directed anger, and he mumbled uncomfortably. "I'm…fond of Hagrid."

"Severus, you aren't at fault…"

"_Lupin_." Severus reproached him scathingly, his voice harsh with disgust. "Onto whom could I shift the blame? I was useless. They had him under Imperius before I even _reached_ him in the darkness. My magic was ineffective against him, and physically… well." Snape lowered his head, allowing his soiled hair to fall defensively across his features. "I did try to run, but I…I never made it back to you. I should have been there when you needed help."

"Aah..." Sirius shrugged nonchalantly; he seemed almost deliriously numb to the tact required in their singular situation. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Snape." He sniggered brokenly under his breath.

Harry frowned at Sirius' tastelessness, and turned to his Godfather in concern. Lupin cut in, sounding flustered in his conciliatory attempt.

"Er…Severus, are you sure what you're experiencing is nothing more sinister than...say, a concussion? Something magical, perhaps?"

"No." His fingertips glanced discreetly over his bruised facial tissue. "Pitting me against Hagrid did enough damage; there was no need for them to waste their curses… and my symptoms are perfectly non-magical, Lupin." Snape's voice sounded suddenly weary; resigned. "Nausea, head pain…"

"Dizziness?"

"Hell yes. Didn't you see my pathetic effort on those _stairs_ earlier? I couldn't even keep myself upright!" He flinched at the memory. "And I was so _close_…"

"That was a terrible fall, Severus." Remus' face contorted in discomfort. "It really _was_…"

"-Yes, thank you, _Lupin_. My body is well aware of the extent of my own _damn _- agh…" Snape groaned in pain at his own raised voice and sank to the ground, cradling his head.

Lupin surged forward to the very front of the cell. "Severus, listen to me! You have _got_ to get up - you know that as well as I do. You MUST get up."

Severus clawed his way up the wall, back onto his feet, smiling sardonically. "Talk to me…ask me questions."

"Like what?" Begged the twins in unison, rearing to help, and Harry stepped up, just as eager to be of use.

"Anything. Ask whatever you can think of. This is one of the very few opportunities I will _ever_ grant you to exercise your imaginations in my presence. Make the best of it… just, please, keep me engaged." Snape leant his forehead against the cool iron bars, and amended upon reflection, "Simple things. Any philosophical questions asked will **not** be answered cheerfully. Stick to…facts…"

There was a nervous pause. Snape seemed to be fading before their very eyes.

"What's…your full name?"

"Oh, _Potter_, how very stimulating-"

"But you said-!"

"- _Yes_, I did. I did." Snape rebuked himself, almost apologetically. "Severus Caleb Snape."

"Erm…"

"-How old are you?"

The twins raised their eyebrows at Ron's daring. Ron shrugged sheepishly, murmuring "What? You heard what he said! - And it's not like he can get me from there anyway."

Severus had tilted his head backwards, exposing the blood streaks on his long, elegant neck. His eyes were closed in a show of deep concentration. "Thirty." He articulated decidedly. "I saw thirty last January."

"_Thirty_!" Sirius exclaimed in outrage. "Get away, Snape - you must've hit your head a bit bloody harder than you thought! Me and Remus happen to be thirty-_four_, in fact I'm almost thirty-_five, _and I hate to break it to you, Snape, but we were in the same _year_ at Hogwart's!"

Severus' face was stony, motionless and taut, as he gazed back at Sirius across the walkway, loathingly.

"Yes, _thank_ you, Black, for that aggressive display. I'd not forgotten our time together."

Sirius shifted uncomfortably in the ensuing silence. "So…why lie?"

"I don't tell unconvincing lies, Black. I went early."

Sirius shook his head, stepping closer to the bars in fervent disbelief. "-You…you what!"

"I went to Hogwart's early."

There was another silence.

"What age?"

"Eight."

Lupin stepped forward in astonishment. "_Eight?_"

…"Almost."

Hermione emitted a soft gasp. "Oh, my…but you can't have! All the rules decree that no child can be admitted under the age of eleven…"

"_Except in exceptional circumstances_. Dumbledore made an exception for me."

Harry heard the soft rustling of fabric as Lupin shuffled with uncomfortable curiosity. "Based on what, Severus?"

"On the consequences of his not doing so." Severus answered enigmatically.

Despite the intrigued stares of his captive audience, Snape made no move to elaborate. In fact his condition seemed to be deteriorating slightly; his breathing was feverish and erratic, and his eyelids flickered as though exhaustion was overwhelming him.

It was the twins who dared to question Snape further, drawing him back to them, forcing him to focus. "What were the circumstances, Professor?"

"I…was expelled…my primary school…there was an incident."

Harry had never heard his Professor's speech so fragmented. It frightened him.

Remus stirred again, "Severus, are you-"

"-What happened, Snape?" Sirius demanded, seizing the fading man's attention through the bars. "Snape? Come on, stay with us. Tell us what happened."

Remus wrapped his fingers around the bars, wringing them in agitation, but when he spoke, his voice was firm and compelling. "Severus, the incident - tell us about the incident."

"It wasn't…I never…" Snape stopped himself determinedly, attempting to regain his composure. It was a perfectly pitiable sight. "My father…he'd taught me too much black magic."

"Bloody hell," Ron murmured into Harry's ear, "How old did he say he was?"

"Ask me of something else." Snape appealed firmly, clearly wishing to leave the subject.

"Where did…"

"That's why you were so small…" Sirius deduced suddenly, his voice shaking slightly with the uneasy implications that this realisation brought upon him. "..why you were so small when you arrived at Hogwart's."

Snape looked away, retreating back into the shadows of his cell. "Until our second year. Until my father grew so disgusted with being constantly humiliated by me that…" The words just stopped. Severus twisted miserably in his own body. "I was a foot smaller than every other child that first year, and each time I got myself beaten up he would…" Severus swallowed hard, lowering his eyes and breaking off. "After my first year he performed an infant engorgement spell so I'd.."

Lupin interjected, horrified, "Those charms are not to be used unless the child's health is at risk! They are debilitating spells-"

Severus nodded distractedly, inclining his hand towards his face. "I've reason to believe it was at least partly responsible for my…_less_ than beautiful visage." He raised his head defiantly. "I was not _born_ this hideous." His voice backtracked as though he had never said any such desperate thing. "-And the spell causes disproportionate growth…so I just got beaten up for being lanky."

"-Severus…"

"_Don't_. Do you think I need your pity? I didn't let _anyone_ get away scott free…"

"Damn right you didn't!" Sirius growled. "Don't misrepresent yourself Snape - you were a vindictive little bastard! I still have scars from you - soddin' scratches and bite marks-"

"Blac-"

"And all those times you waited _weeks_ to formulate the perfect revenge, cold blooded and calculated, after some…some meaningless, physical attack!

"_Meaningless_? For _whom_-"

"And it's not as though I was always the guilty party-"

"You _liar_, Black. The three of us know you were always the instigator!" Severus swayed dangerously, he had launched himself to the front of his cell in anger, and his hands now scrabbled for the bars to keep himself upright.

"Severus!" Remus called in fright, but Sirius ploughed on with his assault.

"Will you just shut up, Snape, always making out you're the bloody victim - try spendin' twelve years in Azkaban for a crime you didn't commit, then complain about your God damn childhood trauma!"

Snape closed his eyes and rested his bloody forehead against the cold iron bars.

"It's easier." His voice was soft and unnerving in it's calmness. Harry shot a worried look at his Godfather, disconcerted.

"What?" A voice asked, hoping they had misheard.

"When you didn't do it." Snape croaked, utterly still. "It's easier. Only the innocent survive Azkaban intact."

"Intact? No one emerges '_intact' _."

"You'll learn it's not so bad. Not compared to what they'll do to you in here. Not compared to what it's like when you _are_ guilty."

Sirius turned away. "What would you know about it, _Snape_?"

There was a silence. Snape's only eye stared darkly through his soiled locks of hair.

"Despite the impression you so _love_ to project, Black, you are not the soul survivor of Azkaban."

"Do you…" Hermione's trembling voice rose from the cell. "Do you mean that… _you-"_

"When I was seventeen."

Harry trembled slightly in the tension. The sound of his breathing seemed deafening to him.

Severus elaborated, his eyes downcast. "I had just gone to Dumbledore, turned myself in…agreed to turn spy -"

"Why _did_ you - ?"

"-No. That information is beyond sharing. This is not a confessional. This little exercise is not about my own self-justification!"

"That's fine, Severus. Please continue."

"So gracious, Lupin." Snape snarled defensively, but he hesitated. It seemed to Harry that he was thinking better of speaking about Azkaban, but was unwilling to show his own unease.

"I…" Snape ran a hand across his brow in distraction. He sighed and lowered his head. "Dumbledore told his Order of his acquisition of me and… there were certain _aurors_, members of the Ministry, who felt that I deserved a harsher punishment than to simply risk torture and death night and day by existing as their spy.

I had…no trial. And no one was informed of my imprisonment. I just disappeared. I think…Dumbledore believed I had taken my own life. I _hope_ that is what he thought; it's the only way I can justify his…" Snape broke off, raising his head suddenly, as though remembering the presence of his colleagues. He turned away gently. "…They detained me in a depth cell."

Sirius gasped despite himself.

Snape nodded with his back turned expressionlessly to his spectators. "I was four years there. Charged unofficially with…" His head shook almost imperceptibly. "..torture, murder, the unforgivables, illegal use of potions, legilimency, and…some other things.

'They say it's at times like that you discover who your friends are. Ironically enough it was Lucius who saved me."

"Lucius _Malfoy? _Why would-"

"He and I…" Sirius stood in rapt attention as Severus visibly struggled for words. "..we have a certain history."

"Dumbledore couldn't find out what had happened?"

"No… but as I say, I don't know how hard he tried, for…whatever reason."

Severus' uninjured eye darkened with some indiscernible emotion.

"I was twenty-one, and out of my head by the time Lucius managed it. When you're guilty, Azkaban is insanity itself. I sought asylum at Hogwart's, supposedly at Lucius' behest, installing me a spy for the Dark Lord, playing on Dumbledore's _pity_. It would have been clever if not for the pre-existing circumstances between the Headmaster and myself."

"But surely Dumbledore…"

"- was furious, yes. He hunted down the aurors responsible. Little came of it, but they never took me back." He smirked sadly, lowering his cognisant eye. "I suppose their actions were arguably justified. I think I still have a _formal apology _somewhere - such things hold meaning for Dumbledore."

Nobody commented. Snape ambled unsteadily along the back wall of his cell. "Seventeen… I'd just taken my potions' degree. I don't think I ever did get my result. Recited those recipes, those ingredient properties _thousands_ of times, in distraction from…less savoury thoughts."

Harry shuddered in fervent disgust. "Dementors are the most _evil_ creatures in the world."

"Oh no." Snape said blankly. "No, that's not true. That's not true by a long shot."

Harry looked angrily at the ground in shame. "Yeah, well you don't have to hear your mum screaming as Voldemort kills her whenever they approach you."

"No. Indeed," Severus murmured, pondering thoughtfully. "No screaming."

There was a silence.

Sirius recovered and barged into the conflict once more. "At least you were guilty! I tell you, being in that hellhole for a crime you didn't commit - now _that_ is truly.."

"I didn't find that so bad. Your innocence provides an anchor; it stops you from losing yourself. Only the innocent ever surviv-" Snape began again, before a strange look overcame his features. "…Except in my case."

Sirius was frowning in frustration. "But you never went back. I would have been in there by that time, and I saw every person they brought down into that hell."

Remus moved forward, "Besides, haven't you been teaching constantly for the past nine years, Severus?"

"Yes." Severus replied simply.

"So when did you…they've..they've _never_ put an under-aged wizard in Azkaban..." Remus insisted cautiously.

Severus' blank eyes studied the floor. "What can I say? I've always been exceptional."

Remus' face collapsed. "Oh…Severus-"

"_Don't_." Severus' face was expressionless. "It was only five months."

Remus' eyes closed in despair, "When was this?"

"The summer of our fourth year."

"That's why you didn't come back the next year until…"

"-February." Snape's voice was barely audible.

"I...I thought you'd been suspended..." Remus' voice died.

Nobody could bring themselves to ask the question that haunted them.

They watched as Severus clutched at his head, leaning tentatively against the back wall of his cell.

"When I…when I went home for the summer…for the holidays, I…something happened. I was…" He suddenly inhaled violently.

"Snape?"

" - _Severus!_ Stay with us, keep talking…"

Severus gritted his teeth against the pain.

"I was found…" - His listeners' silence was reinstated immediately - "..I was found...by aurors, alone in my house with six bodies."

Harry felt the air in the dungeon crushing him, and was horribly aware of the presence of those around him.

"Needless to say, the...the Ministry went insane - the very _idea_ of a twelve year old serial killer… "

"At that time the truth serum was both fatal and illegal to apply to children. Nobody knew what had happened and I…I couldn't talk. So, I was placed in Azkaban strictly as a precaution. I had no wand, so they couldn't understand how I could have…"

Severus turned to fully face the dank wall, placing his palms flat against it, and resting his damaged head against the concrete.

"It was...terrible…my mind was more susceptible at that age. The scene just played, over and over before my eyes… merging with every other horror I had ever seen or…experienced. It changed me. Significantly. But I never felt myself slipping as I did on my second detainment. It was just thatmy youth and...the other men in there…" He shook his head slowly, sadly, and tried to explain. "I'd known _nothing_ of Dementors... I thought I was going mad."

His palms moved down the rough concrete.

"The laws protecting the under-aged allowed the Ministry to keep the affair quiet. They didn't notify Dumbledore until the beginning of term, to inform him that I would not be returning, and since my parents had been among the dead there was no one to…" Severus shrugged uncomfortably shaking his head.

"I was eternally indebted to Dumbledore. He was livid in my defence, demanded that I be released immediately into his custody on the grounds of my age. Still…even _he_ could not force my release before Christmas, and by that time…well. I was not deemed fit to rejoin the other students until spring.

"They never proved me innocent or guilty either way. They never discovered what happened at all. Dumbledore never let the matter be reopened. Only he and a select few aurors are now aware that the incident ever took place. They wiped the memories of every official involved, everybody who'd seen the crime scene or been involved in the investigation.

"Except mine of course. Nothing can make a person forget that they've been in Azkaban."

The door at the top of the stairs crashed open and a woman stood illuminated in the doorway, her wand and a Death Eater mask gasped in one fist.

Snape flinched. "Oh shit."

* * *

End of Chapter Three... 

Best parts still to come! I'm so excited! In the mean time PLEASE read some of my shorter pieces, i'm so proud of them, and if you like this, you'll love them too. Especially "Undefinable Mercy", that's my personal favorite, as i'm sure is evident in the reading...

THANK YOU FOR WAITING GUYS!


	4. The Power of Images

"Severus."

"Bella."

"What a transformation, Severus. Look at the state of you."

"It's been a while since you've seen me, _Bella_."

"It would seem that I've not seen you since we were children. Not for what you _are_, Severus." Her sharp footsteps contrasted harshly with the silky tones of her accusatory words as she descended the stairs, her gaze unwavering upon Severus.

"You've known me as well as any, Bella."

"Yes." Her stare was filled with scorn as she glared at the man now so incomprehensible to her. "Yes, I have." She allowed herself to loll invitingly against the bars of his cell as she provoked him, "And is that not sad? Does that not make some…_definitive_ statement, as to the condition of your existence, _Severus_? "

"Other than that my time spent _eating death_ damaged it beyond all restoration?"

"Ha! You were damaged before ever you entered our ranks. We've known a spy existed - these nine years we've known it! But to think it could be you; _you,_ who could never have reason to turn against us - _knowing_ that your only chance for acceptance, for _respect_, lay in our ranks; you, whose very nature and circumstance _define_ you as one of us!"

"You should know my nature to be no less changeable than my behaviour or my loyalty, Bella."

"You fool, what hope can you have among _them_?"

"What hope can I now have _anywhere_? It's not about hope." Severus' body was weakening even as his spirit spewed from his being. "It's about power."

"_Power_?"

The woman wove the keys to Severus' cell between the black folds of her robes.

"And what _power_ would _they_ grant **you**?"

"They need grant me nothing, I seize it myself in making the choice. I had ever felt helpless before I deviated from your ranks; ever controlled. My every decision was manipulated, or forced upon me. A series of others had ground my existence into the dirt out of envy, cruelty, or sheer delight in abusing my affection for them. Do not feign ignorance as to my motives, Bella. Your own _particular_ brand of cruelty is dictated by nothing more than a fear of helplessness; a want of power."

"There is much power to be _had_ in the service of our master." A slow grin stole across her features as her eyes bore into Severus.

"Enough even for you to exercise your own personal quirks, Bella."

"Your _deviation_ falls somewhat far from a mere 'quirk'. I can still barely believe you capable of causing the chaos you did. You _bastard_. So many of those botched missions were mine, and you _saw_ what our Master did to me!"

"You only volunteered for the _risk_, Bella! You needed the punishments; the pain. You always have. I felt less guilt in your case than I did in many others'. You have always grounded yourself in agony." Severus inclined his head. "I…I understand…"

Bella hissed at him and he shook his head in resignation.

"I do, Bella. You think your psyche so complex, but you just need to know that you're worth something; worth enough to our Master to deserve torture. How can you feel alive if no one cares enough to hurt you? How can you feel anything?"

"You think me more twisted than you do _yourself_?" Bella's heels clicked sharply on the stone as she strode pensively along the bars of Severus' cell. "Perhaps you are right. After all, you are little more than a child self-harming in the dark. Do you know I followed you? For a while. To check the _extent_ of your dedication when you first became one of us. Still at Hogwarts then, you were." Her grin leered cruelly through the bars towards Severus. "And would you guess what I discovered? Your little routine. Night after night without fail."

Severus staggered backwards softly. "You're bluffing-"

"You fool, Severus. Have I any need to bluff? Teetering on the edge of that Astronomy Tower like that for anyone to see! Night after night after night."

Severus was silent in the shadows.

"Do you know that after meetings I sometimes came to the edge of the forest just to watch you do that, Severus? An unchanging variable in the confusion that has always shrouded us. Quite comforting really. Unless you're the one doing it, I suppose."

"It isn't…I don't…"

"WHAT! What _isn't_ it? What _don't_ you do? Shall I take a wild guess at why you do it? Perhaps you yourself are not so very complex!"

"…Or perhaps it is merely that we understand one another." Severus mumbled brokenly.

"You think it puts you in control. If you are caught, tortured - killed even! - it happens only with your blessing, only with your consent. Because you could have deprived everyone of the opportunity; you could have ended it all first." Bella rested her head against the bars. "Still…it does amaze me that you lasted this long. There must have been many nights on which the choice to continue was a near thing."

"You are surprised at me? That I continue to choose pain over _nothingness_?"

"Ah, but _such_ pain, Severus. So consuming that it _unites_ us as Death Eaters! We endure what so few could; it strengthens us, and yet…_you_. You undermine everything with your betrayal, with your incitement of inevitable failures amongst us."

She inclined her head, slowly. "And how now do you feel, _Severus_?"

Severus' eyes were filled with emotion, though he restrained himself in silence.

"Tell me!" She roared smashing her hands against the bars, her renowned unpredictability emerging.

"Don't, Bella…"

"How could I _not_?" Slowly, seductively, she dipped her thin fingers into her robes, and there was a clink of silver as she removed a key from the chain within. Her eyes never leaving Severus', she toyed with the key in the firelight, before coyly slipping it into the lock and entering the shadowed cell.

Harry fidgeted as he watched the scene from the avid silence of his cell, willing Severus to overcome the woman, to bolt from the cell. The man made no move to do either, although there was no wand in sight.

"Look at what has become of you, Severus." She raised a hand, tracing the lines of his swollen, disfigured face sensitively in the unfeeling air. "You are so damaged… Nevertheless. _All_ is impermanent." With a wave of her hand, the bruising melted away, and Severus could not suppress a gasp of ecstasy in the immediate relief of the agonies that had so overwhelmed him. His figure recovered its familiar, untwisted posture, as the alignment of his sharp shoulders returned. "You may yet recognise your error."

Extending a delicate arm, she clasped the back of Severus' neck, drawing their faces together. Severus' eyes closed in the pleasure of the touch, despite its circumstances. Bella's warm breath assaulted his lips as she murmured in the cold of the dungeon, "Has the pain gone?"

"_Yes_." Severus' desperate gratefulness ebbed pitifully into his whisper.

"…It will return."

Severus opened his dark eyes, unfazed.

"Is that not the beauty of this…state of impermanence?"

Bella shook her head despairingly, gazing into Severus' eyes. "Your potential is such...our Lord could have _loved_ you, Severus." She stroked a lock of his blood-matted hair, with a fond tenderness quite unbefitting the nature of the caress. "I have always seen you as the epitome of our Order."

"Bella." Severus expression was pained, tainted with sadness as he whispered gently, "It has been but an act. Now all that remains is the reality. And, Bella…" She leaned closer, drawn by his black eyes. "…I'm sorry."

A sudden snarl broke the intimacy. Bella had turned; the hopelessness of her crusade crashing down upon her. She withdrew her wand. "Reality is what we make it, Severus. Yours is to descend into the realms of my _imagination_. You have spurned the love that my wildest efforts could not siphon from our Master. I will see you pay for it. I will see you healed, and healed again. Neither death nor delirium will offer sanctuary to you. Your war is lost Severus. Our Lord will return for the boy, and I will ensure that by the time he arrives, it will be beyond your capability to care."

With a flick of her wand, the door of the dungeon opened, and through it emerged six cloaked figures; their faces shielded by hoods. In seconds, they had reached Severus' cell and were flooding inside, encircling him; Severus shifted in fear, his head twisting repeatedly around the circle as his opponents surrounded him.

"I've a little surprise in store for you." Bella smiled, leaning against the cell bars as she twirled her wand casually between her fingertips. "You cannot hate yourself, as I would have you do, for your _rejection_ of our Lord. Nevertheless, I can offer you an alternative motive. One that I find from experience to be…most effective."

Severus' eyes flashed with fear as her grin spread, and her laughter rose to a final incantation, revealing the nature of his inevitable punishment. Each of the six hoods retracted to reveal the identity of their wearers, and inside each and every one of them stood… Severus Snape.

"They are imprints, Severus, _shadows_." Bella savoured his horror, intoxicated by its strength. "They have _your_ talent for torture, your intimate awareness of your fears… and **my** will."

Severus himself had frozen, "No-", he gasped, "No, please, Bella. Do me yourself! Why deny yourself the pleasure of destroying me piece by piece..?"

"Severus!" Bella cried contentedly, "All in good time. There is no limitation on the number of rounds I may go with you. This one I will watch, and perhaps the next…"

"Bella don't do this…"

"Why wouldn't I, when I've been told the results are so beautiful? To fear yourself above all things. To face the mirror-image boggart! Tragic. And yet I'm told you have excellent reason…after all, you have turned out so very like your _father_-"

"-Bella! Bella, please…" The desperation in Severus' voice made Harry feel physically sick as the clones around Severus seized him closely, shoving that vicious sneer into Severus' face, which could instil such terror across the distance of the Great Hall. The sneer that occlumency had shown Harry on Snape's father's face, as he beat his wife, and his child cowered from him.

Severus was dragged squirming from his cell; Harry saw the man had forced his eyes closed, sheltering himself from the attack of his own image on all sides, "Bella! Don't leave me with them – you don't need them…"

" "Them"? Such distancing, Severus! There's just no _need_ for such formality in the face of such…undeniable _familiarity_! You may call them 'Severus', 'Sev', or perhaps "_daddy_" - once the instability sets in…"

"Bella! _PLEASE_-"

Bella's hysterical laughter rebounded off the dungeon walls, offsetting Severus' shouts and physical thrashing horribly to the observers imprisoned in their midst. Bella had not thrown the prisoners a glance since entering the dungeon but she lolled against their bars now, her laughter subsiding slowly. "I meant what I said, you beauties. Don't get comfortable in there. Once our Master returns from battle, Potter will die, and _we_ will be granted the rest of you. Now _Severus_ - he I may return to exhibit. In him, you will see just what it is we are capable of."

She walked away, undulating sensuously. "It's nice to see you again, Sirius. And to think I've escaped Regulus' desperate pawing these long years he's lain in pieces. I've no doubt there will come a time for me to test _your_…self-restraint?"

Harry's eyes were on Sirius' stricken face, as the metal door of the dungeon slammed shut in Bellatrix's wake.


End file.
